


A Change of Pace

by HoneySpark



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Canon Divergence, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Minor Character Death, Multi, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, There will be a violence tag later on, Viktor and Viten'ka are different people, Viktor still skates, Viktor with a K, War, Yurio is his angry son, Yuuri is a king, who secretly loves his dad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-09-25 10:11:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9814826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoneySpark/pseuds/HoneySpark
Summary: Viktor was in a dead end rut. Win after win of skating competitions, obscure faces he would never remember, and a general lack of vodka wasn't the greatest combination. It was an endless cycle that brought him nothing but good fortune, but his mental state was in utter disrepair.He thought he would have to drive his blackout-drunk rink-mates home when he meets a woman smoking a cigarette that smells of strawberries, and she changes his life forever.And to think it started with a picture book.





	1. Transition

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first YOI fanfic, so I'm really trying to keep the characters as on-character as possible. If you see something that strikes you as odd about them at any point, please let me know as I seriously want to write for this fandom!
> 
> Comments/critiques are greatly appreciated!

He was young when he first heard the story of the fairy and the sad man. Viktor had long forgotten the name of the book, but his mind would often wander to it, especially after winning yet another competition. He remembered one particularly cold night when he was a child, he had just had a nightmare and was sobbing his eyes out. His mother had come in to comfort him after hearing his cries. 

_"My dear Vitya,"_ She had said in their native tongue, _"There is no need to cry, for what you saw did not happen."_

Contrary to what he is now, Viktor was a quiet, shy child. He said nothing as he let the tears fall. 

_"… My dear boy, climb under your covers. I will go grab a book and read it to you until you fall asleep. Does that sound good?"_

Reluctant, Viktor nodded and pulled his covers up to his nose, wiping his eyes with the sheets as his mother left to grab the aforementioned book. When she had come back, Viktor had stopped crying, but his eyes were still puffy. 

_"Vitya, this was my favorite book as a little girl. Once upon a time there was a fairy, a beautiful fairy with wings like glass. She served a king; a mythical king with magical powers, just like the fairy. The king was very handsome, and he always wore robes as dark as the night sky. But the king was never happy. For you see, the king had never loved anyone. He was a very lonely king with a heart of stone. Seeing this made the fairy very upset, so she set out to find someone that the king could love._

_"She travelled day and night, looking for whoever could claim the king's heart. She travelled far and wide, even to the most distant of lands. And then she saw him: a man who was as kind as he was beautiful, with the palest hair she had ever seen. The fairy went to him, only to discover the man was lonely as well. He told the fairy he had everything he could have ever wanted, but he was unhappy. The fairy smiled and told him to follow her, and she would lead him to happiness._

_"She presented the man to her king, and the dark king instantly fell for the pale-haired man, and it was mutual to the man. They learned to love each other. The fairy was happy her king was pleased. The pale-haired man was happy he was no longer lonely. And the king was happy his stone heart had been turned to gold."_

The young Viktor was staring intently at the pictures in the book. The final page had an illustration of a man with long, white hair holding hands with a man wearing all black and a gold heart on his chest. Hovering above them was a winged woman with flowing hair holding what looked like a wedding bouquet. 

_"Now, Vitya, you must be getting to sleep. You have your first skating lesson tomorrow."_

That was Viktor's earliest memory, for some reason or another. He often found himself relating to the pale-haired man, a beautiful being with everything within his reach, but still unsatisfied. He wasn't sure if this made him a secluded person, or just selfish. 

He was even thinking about that night in the crowded nightclub, with blaring lights and blasting music. Bodies all around him were moving hypnotically to the beat, but he couldn't get into it. A couple off rink mates had dragged him here more or less against his will to celebrate his win at the Russian Nationals, right after his win at the Grand Prix Final. About half an hour after they arrived here, they had disappeared into the crowd. Viktor assumed he'd have to get them home somehow, so no alcohol for him. Which was a shame, too. This place served really great vodka. 

He was leaning against the wall, checking other skaters' social media to make the time go by. All obscure, forgettable faces in the crowd. They all were the same every year, all conquests of Viktor's superior ability. 

His life had lost its glamour after the third or fourth gold medal. All he was is a pretty face with a talent of gliding across the ice. It's all he saw himself as. And the many people who weren't involved in figure skating saw him as eye candy. He got quite a lot of it with the drunk patrons of the club, regardless of the gender, requesting or even demanding some 'action'. He wasn't a man to engage in one night stands, especially when the other was drunk and couldn't control their words or actions. 

An unfamiliar whiff of strawberry reached his nose. 

Standing next to him was a short girl, barely taller than five feet. He didn't even see her approach. Her attire couldn't really be considered club worthy; a gray sweater with a red skirt and black flats. She had long, brown hair and rectangular glasses. Her figure reminded Viktor of a skater; was she here because of the competition? She certainly didn't look Russian. Between her fingers was what looked like a black cigarette with pink swirls etched into the sides. Fancy cancer there, sister. That's when he realized the strawberry scent was coming from the ornate device. 

"You look like you'd rather be anywhere but here." She said, giving him a sidelong glance with oddly bright gray eyes. She took another puff of the cigarette in her hand, the cloud being oddly pink as well. Viktor got a nagging feeling about this girl, but put them aside to be polite. 

"You could say that again." Viktor sighed, crossing his arms. He couldn't help but notice the slight narrow of her eyes, as if she were scanning him. "I'm just here because I'm sure my friends are drunk and I want to get them home." 

The girl smiled, leaning forward. "That's very noble of you. Your finds are lucky to have you." She looked out on the dancing crowd, not speaking as she spoke again, "You're on top of the world, Viktor Nikiforov and yet you don't enjoy what's in front of you. Why is that?" 

Viktor stared at her, astonished. She had his figured out in almost an instant. If his earlier assumption was correct, of course she'd know of him if she was here for the Grand Prix Finals. But to figure him out in an instant... She had inhuman clairvoyance. "It's odd. Life is simply boring to me." 

The girl was quiet for a while, staring at the clubgoers and smoking the odd cigarette. Out of the blue, she says, "Sounds like you need a break from reality." 

Without hesitation, he blurts out, "Please." 

A devilish grin broke out on her face, and time seemed to slow. The smoke from her device was enveloping around Viktor, and her eyes seemed like they were glowing. Why wasn't anyone helping him? He was getting tired. So tired... 

The grin was still on her face as he passed out, the world fading to black. 

~ 

When he woke, he was lying on the greenest grass he ever felt. It seemed unnatural, how healthy it looked. Viltor tried to sit up, but he felt a sudden jolt of pain and lay back down. 

"Ah, good, you're up," It was the girl's voice, "Yeah, it'll be sore for a little while. It was like that my first time travelling between worlds. You get used to it, but hopefully you won't need to." 

He looked up at her, and she was in different attire. Now that was a clubbing outfit; a short dress with matching gloves and boots with the colors of a sunset. Adorned on her dress was an array of glittering jewels. The oddest part about her was that on her back were a pair of wings, colorful and transparent like stained glass. 

"What?" Instead of smoking the fancy cigarette, she was inhaling from an ornate pipe. The substance in the pipe was the same smell and color as what she had before. "Never seen a fairy before? You have storybooks, don't you?" 

"Of course I've seen fairies in picture books." Viktor said indignantly. He was being sassed by a tiny smoker with wings. "But they don't exist. What they do don't exist." 

The girl shrugged, hovering off the ground to accentuate her point. "Interesting statement, but I assure you, we exist. We just don't live around humans. Not only are we a rather secluded lot, but we think humans are overly selfish, war-mongering animals who would imprison a magical being like ourselves and turn us into weapons. It's a trend in your history." She added snidely. 

Viktor smirked. "As much as you're dissing my species, you're right. Humans are selfish." 

"Glad you see it. Anyway, allow me to introduce myself formally, because it's how we work around here. I'm Emma Adamas, fairy, current North Gatekeeper of the reign of King Katsuki Yuuri." She took another puff of her pipe. "I would have told you my name sooner, but it didn't seem important after me taking you here." 

Viktor looked around the vast terrain; he and Emma were on a hilled area surrounded by bright flowers and sunlight, with pools of the cleanest water he's ever seen scattered about. "Where are we? It's beautiful." 

Emma smiled to the sky. "This incredible world is known as the Sacred Plains. A place of magic and wonder. Any magical creature you can think of, we have here. Go ahead and name a few." 

"Vampires, ghosts, and sirens." He decided to play this game. 

All the fairy did was smile. "Vampires do need to drink blood, but with certain spells they can walk in the daylight and see their reflections. Ghosts are vastly misunderstood, but require a necromancer to get them to move on. And Sirens are great! I know one named Christophe~" 

Viktor and Emma just sat in silence, the former taking in the sights of this brand new world and the latter smoking the strawberry-scented plant. If it even was a plant; he had no idea. 

The skater spoke up again, "Why me?" 

The fairy inhaled sharply; it seemed she wasn't prepared for that question. "To tell you the truth, I brought you here on more an opportunity, rather than taking you sightseeing." She paused to collect her words. "My boss, King Yuuri is a really lonely guy. Ever since the death of his husband, Viten'ka. And with explosive tensions with the neighboring kingdom, not to mention his rebellious son, I'm worried that this guy will lose all of his autonomy forever. So I brought you here to be a friend. And you also look a little like Viten'ka." 

"So you brought me here because... your boss was lonely and I so happen to look like his dead husband?" Viktor drew heavy parallels to that storybook. Could this world be the one from the fairy tale? If so... a new life was paved for Viktor in that instant. 

"I know, it sounds petty." Emma stammered. "But if nothing is done, a peaceful kingdom could lose its ruler... All he needs is a friend, and I know how you wanted a new meaning in life." 

"And if I agree to this?" 

She turned sharply to him. She blinked a few times, reassuring herself that she had succeeded, and her face broke out into a heavy smile. "You humans aren't so bad after all! Okay, I'll just call the king and tell him the good news~" 

She was skipping in glee to one of the puddles of water. She lifted her hand, and the water rose from the ground to mirror her movements. Viktor's eyes widened in shock as the orb of water began to glow. Emma began chanting in what Viktor could assume was Latin, _"Divinos appellant, rex. Eum audire verba."_

An image of a man appeared in the orb. He had tan skin and dark eyes, his hair matching. He wore light blue robes, and on his head was a flower crown of pink roses. "This is the throne room of King Yuuri of the  
Sacred Plains! How may I help you today?" 

"Phichit! Where's the king? I thought I called him." Emma crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently. 

The one named Phichit sighed. "Emma, you know it's a collective command. Anyway, the king is in a war council. He's trying to defuse the tension with Eingrad, but so far, it's not going well. Eingrad's military leader came as the representative and she refuses to listen to reason." 

Emma swore under her breath, "That woman is a madman... Anyway, I brought you a human trinket. They use this to communicate and express harsh and sweet feelings to each other." 

She holds up Viktor's phone to display to Phichit. 

"H-Hey, give it back!" Viktor lurched forward at the fairy, who simply flew out of the way. "I may not have service here, but I have really good pictures on it--" 

Phichit was laughing on the other end. "That guy looks just like Viten'ka!" His face suddenly got very serious. "That guy looks just like Viten'ka. Emma, did you bring him back to life? And cut his hair?" 

Emma looked offened. "Of course not! Do I look like a necromancer to you? And besides, what necromancer could bring Viten'ka back to life at this point?" 

"That's... true. Anyway, even if you aren't Viten'ka, you look just like him. Who are you?" 

"My name is Viktor. Viktor Nikiforov. I'm a human." He said with a smile. This guy seemed friendly enough. 

The man's face broke out into a wide grin. "Phichit Chulanont, advisor to King Yuuri, at your service! I would say the king would like to meet you, but he's busy with the council and all! How about you have Emma here swing by the castle and drop you off!" 

"Wait a minute, I'm not just one off your errand fairies-" The orb of water went dark and fell back into its pit, splashing Emma's previously pristine boots. She breathed in slowly, as if to calm herself. "… How about I take you to the castle, yeah? Maybe I'll hit Phichit while I'm at it..."


	2. Declaration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri is stressed the hell out, Viktor loves the castle, and Yuri is an angry fairy. Literally.
> 
> Shitty summary is shitty.

Katsuki Yuuri was a complex man. 

For starters, he was the king of a nation that prided itself on its peace. That is, until the death of his husband, Viten'ka. It was discovered that assassins of the nation of Eingrad were behind the attack on his life. Even then, Yuuri still did not declare war. He didn't want to thrust his citizens into a fight that would end in the deaths of many. 

Now, he was in a meeting with the likely person who ordered the attack on the love of his life. 

She called herself Intertia. And while she was clearly mentally unstable, she was an excellent military tactician. She was clearly born of magical lineage, with her oddly-colored hair and the immense aura she put off. While not a sorceress, by any means, she had some ability. 

"Listen," Yuuri said, folding his hands neatly on the table he was sitting at, "The Sacred Plains does not want a war with Eingrad. It would be taxing on the people of both of our nations." 

Inertia only chuckles, her face unreadable thanks to the mask that covered her eyes. All he could see was her mouth, which was in a cocky smile. "With all due respect, King Yuuri... war, like all things is inevitable. I'm afraid I'll have to inform you that our ruler has declared war on the Sacred Plains already. However, since I am a noble woman, the first attack will not be today, dear king." 

Yuuri remained silent as he glared at the woman, magic flickering around him. His impatience and anger was showing. 

She chuckled again, chewing the blade of a knife. "I wonder how long the war will last. As you said, it will display horrific effects on our people. Even if you are unwilling to fight, I must perform my duty to Eingrad. And even if that means murdering you, then I look forward to seeing you on the battlefield." 

Inertia snapped her fingers, and her companion grabbed her arm tentatively. They then faded into the ground, leaving Yuuri alone with the companion he chose, Kenjirou Minami. The king put his head in his hands, as Minami stood by, unsure of what to say. 

Usually, Yuuri would have chosen Phichit to attend these diplomatic meetings, but Phichit was answering a call and Minami was nearby. Yuuri didn't want to be the lone man in that room with that wicked women. Minami was his current student in magic, he'd be able to back Yuuri up in a pinch. 

Stepping out of the room, Yuuri was slicking his hair back again; it had become disheveled during the meeting due to him clawing his hair in frustration. The young mage followed behind closely, afraid Inertia would come back at any second. "My King... what now? Our army isn't prepared for something like a war." 

"I'm well aware," Yuuri exasperated, "Minami, could you send out a message to the other castle mages? We need to set up a ward around the palace. I need to speak with my son." 

"R-Right away, your majesty!" And Minami ran in the other direction, calling water from a fountain nearly and chanting the calling spell. 

On the way, Yuuri passed the castle gardens. A beautiful area that he unfortunately couldn't visit often anymore. He loved playing there as a kid, surrounded by the children of noblemen and women who kept him busy while waiting for his next tutor to arrive. 

He spotted two people in the garden; aforementioned childhood friends. One was an elf named Sara, and the other a red-haired mage named Mila. Sara was constructing a crown of roses for her girlfriend, who accepted it happily. The former spotted Yuuri, and waved him over. "Yuuri! I've been making flower crowns! Want one?" 

Despite the graveness that his kingdom was now in, Yuuri smiled and knelt down and let Sara crown him with white roses. "You've made these for a long time now. You make it look so easy." 

The elf smiled. "When you have a grumpy brother like mine, you have to figure out a way to make anyone smile. They're easy to make once you get the hang of it. I'll try to teach you again if you're free anytime soon." 

Yuuri, while shaking his head, still smiled. "I'm afraid that recent events have completely clouded up my schedule. Either way, after I'm done talking to Yuri, would you know where I could find your brother? I need to discuss some urgent matters with him." 

Sara nodded, "He's probably out training the troops. Again. Without taking a break for himself. I swear, he never thinks about himself." Sara takes out a satchel and starts sifting through it, stopping to take out a clear bottle full of a light blue liquid. "Please take this to him. I don't want him to pass out again." 

"See ya, Yuuri. Tell Georgi I said hi if you see him." Mila waved him off, in which the sorcerer returned before walking to his son's room. 

Yuri wasn't really his son; he was an orphaned fairy Yuuri and Viten'ka found after a fairy village was decimated by disease. The boy was very young when he was found, so it would make sense that he has little knowledge of his true parentage. He was the lone survivor, so the king and his husband adopted him, making him the crown prince of the Sacred Plains. 

Yuri was currently hovering around his room, sitting on the high windowsills, on the bookshelves, and dancing in midair. To put it simply, Yuri was bored out of his mind. 

He was extremely elegant, with shoulder length blonde hair that didn't have any out of place, form-fitting white clothes and no shoes. With each movement his white wings made, they shimmered in the light of the room. His bright green eyes turned to the door when his adoptive father entered, ad he immediately flew to the ground. 

"About time, old man!" He intoned rudely. "Is food ready yet? I'm damn hungry." 

Yuuri only smiled; he was used to his son's harsh banter by now. He had always been a rather boisterous child, and it only got worse as he got older. He used to chide Yuri on it, but granted that Yuuri was his age when he took the throne, he let him make his own decisions for the most part. Yuri is polite when he wants to be. 

"I'm afraid not, it will still be a while, and that wasn't what I wanted to talk about." Yuuri's expression became very serious, "Please sit down. This is important." 

Yuri would have said something spiteful, but after seeing his father's face, he decided against it and sat without argument. 

Yuuri took a deep breath, "At this point, no one outside of the castle knows this yet. You are aware that Eingrad has been trying to provoke conflict for the last few years, following the death of... your father." Yuri looked down, nodding. Yuuri continued, "Eingrad, as of today, has declared war on us. It will be a stressful, difficult time for all of us. The inhabitants of the castle, especially." 

Yuri stayed silent, his expression deteriorating after every sentence. "… because I am the king, and you are my heir to the throne, Eingrad is almost guaranteed to want us captured at the very least, and at worst... you know that part already. 

"But we have hope. Eingrad is at a serious disadvantage because most of their population is non-magical. The Sacred Plains is known for its powerful armies and magical prowess. But for the time during the war, you are being assigned a highly trained guard whose sole duty is to protect you. I have not chosen you a guard yet, but rest assured, I will not let harm befall you." 

Yuuri wrapped his son into a tight hug, who returned it reluctantly. "… does this mean I can finally learn to fight?" 

The king looked surprised. "I mean, I don't see why not. But what do you want to learn? A physical weapon? Magic? Fighting in general is very broad." 

Without missing a beat, Yuri blurts out, "I want to learn how to use dad's old sword." 

More surprised etched on to Yuuri's face. "You mean _Gelu_ _Am_ _oris_?" When Yuri nodded , the sorcerer looked uncomfortable. 

"… we... actually lost _Gelu_ _Amoris_ when Viten'ka died. No one knows where it is now." The truth behind the sword's disappearance was that it simply faded away. Yuuri had witnessed this; he was kneeling next to his husband when the sword glimmered away into the air. That was the last anyone had seen of Viten'ka's legendary ice blade. 

Yuuri figured that the blade was infused with elvish magic; which is what Viten'ka was: an Elvan sorcerer. They often their weapons to give them an extra effect in battle or aesthetic purposes. _Gelu_ _Amoris_ wasn't just a pretty blade; it could also freeze anything it touched. 

When Yuri looked downtrodden, Yuuri attempted to cheer the fairy up. "H-Hey now! I could ask the blacksmiths to make you your own sword! We can imprint your magic and everything!" 

Yuri's magic was pretty unrefined, usually coming out in waves when he was scared. Angry, or generally upset. And because of the lack of refinement, it wasn't clear what he specialized in. Once, when Yuri was a baby, Viten'ka wasn't paying much attention to him at that moment. In an effort to get his dad's attention, his magic had run amok and turned Viten'ka's hair green. 

Or right now. It was snowing in Yuri's room. 

"… I know you're upset, but there isn't anything we can do besides use the resources we have right now." Yuuri decided that Yuri didn't need to hear about this anymore. "C'mon. Let's see if food's ready." 

~ 

Lunch was uneventful, but at least Yuri cheered up a bit. It helped that Phichit was able to join them, his bubbly attitude never fails to brighten up anyone's day. He kept going on about how Emma brought a human here because he wanted more out of life. 

"She did that? Huh. I thought Emma hated humans." Yuuri said, pausing to eat more of his food: noodles with some sort of vegetable broth. 

"She does! But she said she liked this one. Apparently this guy loves the ice as much as Viten'ka did." Phichit says happily, and yet he doesn't notice Yuuri freezing and Yuri nearly choking on a noodle. 

"… ahem. Anyway, I must go speak with Michele." Yuuri set his chopsticks across his bowl. "Yuri, I'll speak to the blacksmiths about commissioning your blade. I will be tutoring you on magic, and... I'll find someone to teach you swordplay. I'm a bit out of practice myself." 

The walk to Michele's training grounds was a longer one. It was times like this where Yuuri would admire the scenery of his castle; but he was much too on edge today. His worries weren't unfounded, his country was at war now. Yuuri felt a sudden wave of magic wash over him; the ward he had ordered earlier must finally be up. Yuuri sighed in relief; an extra layer of protection for his son. 

On his way to the training ground was the _Sacra_ _Lacus_ , a pool for aquatic-based inhabitants of his castle. He spotted Christophe Giacometti; a siren with very mature sex appeal. While some found Chris sort of creepy, he was a great friend of Yuuri's and met a nice merman in the pool, and they adore each other. 

"Yuuri~" Christophe sang, getting the king's attention. "I just felt a ton of magic... everything alright?" 

Yuuri smiled sadly. "The trouble with Eingrad escalated, despite my best efforts. So I had a ward cast on the castle, with how many people live here." 

Christophe nodded knowingly. He knew all too well of Eingrad. The people of the nation seemed to have a vendetta with sirens as long as he could remember. Something about losing a popular leader to one of them, but most sirens nowadays weren't remotely wicked. "I'm glad you ordered the spell, or else we could have wider panic." 

"This war won't be easy for any of us." 

"I don't doubt it." 

The trek to Michele wasn't far after that; Yuuri could hear the sound of battle before he saw the soldiers training, the elven leader shouting orders to his men. 

Michele demolished the elven stereotype: shy, reclusive potion makers who prided themselves on having the most control of their magic after mages. Michele, however, was terrible at potion making and any attempt of spells often had explosive results. Despite not being like his family before him, he was excellent in battle, especially alongside his right and left hand men: Emil Nekola and Seung-gil Lee. The former was a Draconis, a sort of human-dragon hybrid who boasted immense strength and endurance. The latter was a gifted sorcerer who specialized in wind magic. 

Michele was the first to notice the king, immediately calling his men to attention in front of the man. Yuuri just waved his hand; a universal symbol to put them at ease. "General Michele, may I speak with you? It's urgent." 

"Of course, your majesty. Seung-gil, you're in charge." The elf directed. Seung-gil only nodded, and Emil pouted. He was never left in charge of the troops while Michele was away, something about being too 'rowdy'. 

"Judging by the ward around the castle, I'm guessing things fell out with the representative for Eingrad." Michele said, walking with Yuuri with his hands folded behind his back. When the king nodded, Michele swore. "Curse them! They've been causing all this conflict, then they declare war?!" 

Yuuri rose his eyebrow at the enraged general, "I never mentioned anything about Eingrad declaring war. Where did that come from?" 

Michele sent a sly smirk towards Yuuri. "Not to offend, but I know you too well. You've been trying to avoid war with Eingrad since day one. You would never declare war with anyone, regardless of how angry they've made you. Speaking of that, those dummies you destroyed the other day are finally repaired. You sure have some destructive magic." 

Yuuri blushed in embarrassment. He hadn't meant to destroy those training dummies, but he had heard of an Eingrad raid against a merchant family . His magic had almost boiled over then and there, but he was able to hold it in until he reached the training ground. That's when he _exploded_. 

It was a miracle they had decided to set up the ward now. Yuuri was able to donate a little power of what he accumulated over the meeting with Inertia. "I-I got it from my mother. She always was the more magically talented one of my parents." 

"I don't know. King Toshiya was extremely talented, While both of them were fairly lax in attitude, your father certainly cut loose when he's had a few pints." This only caused Yuuri's blush to intensify; he was the same way, in that aspect. 

"… but anyway, just know the Sacred Plains will have my army's full support." Michele finished, in which Yuuri gave an encouraging smile. 

"Oh! Michele, before you go, your sister made this for you." Yuuri hold up the light blue potion, which Michele takes and chugs. Immediately, his eyes widen, and he darts to his men, shouting about having them sprint five laps around the training ground. 

All Yuuri hears before entering the castle again was the groans of Michele's men and Emil saying, "Mickey, you're so cruel to them!" 

~ 

"Welcome to the behemoth castle of the Sacred Plains!" Emma grinned widely. "Hey, I lived here as a kid!" 

Viktor couldn't help but be slack-jawed at the castle; it was as large as a city at best, with beautiful architecture and people flying about. Literally flying. Some had wings, others were supported by moving platforms, and a spare few had nothing to carry them. Viktor assumed it was magic. 

All of a sudden, Emma stopped in front of the gates and held an arm in front of Viktor. The sight of this was awkward, but Emma's expression was serious. A spontaneous chill went down Viktor's spine. "Wait. There's a huge amount of magic here. Even you could feel it." 

She was right, the air around the palace seemed heavy, like it was caught in a bubble. Emma lit her pipe, inhaled, and blew the pink smoke in front of her. The skater was shocked when the smoke parted in the air. "A ward. Something really serious must be going on if King Yuuri set a ward around the entire castle." 

Viktor looked confused. Emma sighed, "I'll explain once we get past it. For now, let's just worry about not being fried by it. Not being inside the ward when it was formed is a pain, it doesn't know we aren't hostile yet." 

Emma tentatively reached out and put a hand to it, and Viktor recoiled when her gloved hand started to smoke. She didn't look the least bit fazed as she chanted a spell. _"_ _Transibimus_ _. Et ad_ _porta_ _m_ _tuendam_ _."_  

She held her palm there for a few moments, and then her hand stopped sizzling. She smiled and entered the ward, chanting another spell. _"_ _Hospes_ _ipse_ _est_ _ostiarius_ _."_  

"It should be safe for you now. No fear!" Viktor was extremely reluctant, seeing as Emma _burned her hand_ , but he passed through without trouble. He sighed in relief. 

"Anyway, welcome to the royal palace! They should really rename this place, though. It's more like a town or city than anything else. A ton of people, including commoners, live here." The fairy explained, hovering slightly off the ground. "Let's find Phichit so I can beat him up." 

Oh, they found Phichit alright. But they didn't expect someone to be with him. He had dark, slicked back hair framed by a flower crown of white roses. He wore dark, draping robes, and had gleaming brown eyes that were narrow, like he was squinting. 

Simply put, King Katsuki Yuuri was the most beautiful person Viktor Nikiforov had ever laid eyes on. 

"… Viten'ka?" 

And the King unceremoniously tackles Viktor over. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that ideas for the story are finally going through my head, hopefully I will have time over the next few days to get the next chapter rolling. 
> 
> Inertia is a shitty person. And she will only get worse as the story progresses. I had to add her in because I don't want to make anyone into a villain. Everyone will get a semi-happy ending, except for a spare few who may reach unfortunate fates. Yes, I'm evil.
> 
> Comments/Critiques are greatly appreciated! And this will likely be posted on FanFiction.net under the same name.


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